The Auckland Pacific Sector of the New Zealand Labour Party met last night to discuss and rank the Labour leadership candidates. After much debate and discussion it was carried by a unanimous vote that the leadership candidates be ranked in the following order:

Kris Faafoi has an opinion piece at Radio Live about why he is supporting Grant Robertson and his thoughts on the perceived no poofters rule inside Labour.

Over the past few weeks, there has been quite a bit of commentary about Grant Robertson‚Äôs sexuality. In a number of cases, the Pacific Island community has been used as a vehicle to make a point. Quite bluntly, I find that offensive.

I was brought up in a traditional Pacific household. My parents expected their children to foot it with others on an equal basis. And to do that we had to treat others as equals. That wasn‚Äôt easy as a youngster. It was a time when mocking things as ‚Äúgay‚ÄĚ was generally a good laugh. But that was not the ‚Äúdone‚ÄĚ thing in the Faafoi house, primarily because of the work of my late father Amosa on the Pacific Island AIDS Trust in the late 80s and early 90s.

At a time when AIDS was a ‚Äútoxic‚ÄĚ subject, here was my father crusading for the rights of Pacific gay people to be treated and ‚Äútreated‚ÄĚ fairly if they had become HIV positive.

I believe all Pacific Islanders believe it‚Äôs the fair and right thing that everyone be treated equally. It‚Äôs in our DNA. As a proud Pacific Islander, I‚Äôd like to put it on the record that I am proud that I am supporting Grant.

Actually Kris you are just being a patronising Labour cock. Most Kiwis, not just Pacific Islanders believe in a fair go and equal rights for all. It isn’t just in your DNA, that is a trite phrase that just shows how patronising and know it all Labour really is.

Let‚Äôs be clear. I am respectful of all differing views. But I am going to stick up for what I fundamentally believe. Grant has my support not just because he is the best person for the job, but also because I believe he has the strength of character to get the job done.

He is proud he is gay. And so he should be. Just as I am proud that I am Tokelauan.

To me, core to being Pacific are the values of family, love, inclusion, equality, respect, and having pride in who you are. I know Grant well; he embodies that every day; it‚Äôs what will make him a great leader.

The picture being painted that all Pacific people are opposed to Grant being our leader because he is gay doesn‚Äôt afford the level of sophistication our people possess. Pacific people are hungry for success. They, like all Kiwis, want the best for their families. They want action on jobs, housing, education, health and strengthening their individual cultures.

Are Labour really about to take notice of what the voters are telling them, an historic moment if it’s anything more than lip service.

David Parker the media’s favourite policy wonk who has been awarded plaudits for developing policy and the details behind it…..well not really has been thrown under the bus.

Labour’s manifesto is in tatters as without the inflated forecast revenue from the CGT and the savings in pension there is no cash to fund any other policies, except of course that old favorite of cracking down on tax dodgers.

You do have to wonder what on earth Labour have been doing for their taxpayer funds considering the CGT, pension age, minimum wage have been policy for four years and only now are they noticing that the public think Parker and Labour are idiots.

Grant Robertson has made his pitch for the party leadership, signalling a crackdown on banks, supermarkets and power companies and a plan to rebuild the party.

As he moved to counter the momentum building behind former party president Andrew Little‚Äôs bid, Robertson formally filed his nomination yesterday, signed symbolically by Maori MP Rino Tirikatene and Mana MP Kris Faafoi.

He is expected to launch his campaign in Auckland next week aiming to reverse the 2011 leadership launches where David Cunliffe overshadowed him.

As rumours swirled in the party that Cunliffe may withdraw, given Little‚Äôs hit on his union base, Robertson yesterday promised ‚Äė‚Äėa three-year programme to rebuild and reconnect the Labour Party as the driving force for progressive change‚Äô‚Äô. ¬† Read more »

“With Shane gone, it feels like the message to people who think like Shane, or identified with Shane, none of those people have received a message saying you’re still welcome in the Labour Party. I think that’s the problem.”

She said the anti-Jones brigade among Labour’s activists erupted in celebration on social media without appearing to realise they were effectively sending a message to others that if they identified with Jones, they were not wanted in Labour.

“All you have to do is look at the parade of people popping champagne and saying ‘good riddance’ in the blogosphere. Are we really saying to people who look and think and sound like Shane that they may as well go and vote National because you’re not welcome in Labour?”

David Parker says it’s business as usual, but then admits they lost their own Winston Peters

The party’s leadership has sought to restore a bit of calm and perspective. Deputy leader David Parker says just because Jones has gone, what he stood for had not. He said fighting against inequality and on behalf of workers had been part of Labour’s ethos for almost 100 years. It had managed to express them before Jones and would manage to do so after Jones.

“Nobody is indispensable. If you’re suggesting, as some have, that the only way Labour connects with middle New Zealand is through Shane Jones, that’s just wrong. He’s a good person and a more powerful orator in his use of language than anyone else in Parliament. But there is no one like Shane in National or anywhere. The closest would be Winston [Peters].”

In an attempt to convince themselves Jones isn’t leaving a right of center void, Kris Faafoi¬†¬†rushes in to take Jones’ place, although hints at them feeling leaderless in the trenches ¬† Read more »

Many commentators, especially those of the left persuasion are framing the narrative that Matt McCarten is an organiser extraordinaire and will be able to “get out the vote”.

I think they are misguided. Even John Armstrong falls for this hooey:

One question is on everyone’s lips: is this move a “game-changer” for Labour?

McCarten’s campaign skills should help draw voters back to Labour in its metropolitan strongholds. The real test is whether his input can break National’s stranglehold on provincial New Zealand, as well as broaden Labour’s appeal among lower middle, middle and upper middle income earners.

Given the country’s present conservative disposition, the initial impact may be the reverse. Regardless, winning over those voters to Labour’s cause is likely to require him to compromise personal beliefs, something that has not been part of the McCarten fabric.

I think this is lazy commentary and accepting the framing without any credulity of the claims. The people I have spoken to over the years who go to the dark Alliance days tell me of a man who thought he was the supremo but who never actually delivered. Some of those old New Labour types will quietly be scoffing into their beers and wines and looking at the beatification of Matt McCarten with incredulous eyes. Read more »

Sky TV has got off extremely lightly after the Commerce Commission found its previous contracts may have breached the Commerce Act, said Labour Broadcasting spokesperson Kris Faafoi and associate ICT spokesperson Clare Curran.

‚ÄúSky TV is a monopoly broadcaster so it is extremely concerning that the Commerce Commission has found it may have entered into contracts that reduced competition,‚ÄĚ said Kris Faafoi.¬† Read more »

Grant Robertson is out and proud, he is openly gay and uses that as an electoral crutch when it suits him.

However for some strange reason he lied to Seven Sharp the other night about the whereabouts of his partner Alf while trying to portray himself as a blokes bloke at the pub to watch rugby…with Kris Fa’afoi and for some unknown reason Auckland based MP Jacinda Ardern.

I presume the other MPs would have been in Wellington for the Levin meeting – quite why we’re paying for Jacinda to be in Wellington for a meeting of the faithful in Levin is the question…¬† Read more »

Today starts the long convoluted select committee process over Simon Bridges‚Äô Employment Relations Amendment Bill. The unions hate it with a passion and believe that the sky‚Äôs about to fall in and it‚Äôs some cunning plot to have the rich elite take over the world ‚Äď all thanks to the Nats.

In fact, this gives him and the other Nat MPs Mike Sabin, Chris Auchinvole, Cam Calder and Simon O‚ÄôConnor a good opportunity to ask questions to the unions about how they‚Äôre ripping off their members.

Along with the EPMU and SFWU it is likely they will be prsented with a submission from¬†The Maritime Union’s Gary Parlsoe who has also flown in to have a massive whinge about facilitation, seems he was happy to tell the Koru lounge this morning in a rather loud voice that he isn’t happy with the facilitator. He also spoke briefly with a EPMU bloke who he roundly criticised to his mates after her left, things could get tense between the unions at the select committee.¬† Read more »